In response to Messi's non-play in Hong Kong, a large number of fans demanded a refund.
Tatler, the organizer of the exhibition match, issued a statement on February 9 saying that it will not evade its responsibilities as the organizer, so Tatler will provide a 50% refund to the public who purchased game day tickets through official channels, and the refund will be scheduled until mid-March. The Hong Kong SAR Government welcomes the refund plan and hopes that the CF Miami team will eventually give a reasonable explanation to the Hong Kong people and fans who came to Hong Kong.
In the Hong Kong exhibition match on February 4, not only Messi sat on the court, but Suarez also did not play the whole game. The picture is from Hong Kong Sing Tao Net
Organizers:
Half of the refund will be made to the fans
According to the Yangcheng Evening News and Yangcheng faction, on the 9th of February, Tatler Asia, the organizer of the Miami China Hong Kong tour, issued a statement saying: We have been in communication with the government to solve the problem, and at the same time invited the Consumer Council to participate in the discussion. We will not shirk our responsibilities as the organiser, so Tatler Asia will be offering a 50% refund to members of the public who have purchased their matchday tickets through official channels. Details of the refund arrangement will be announced by mid-March.
In addition, the organisers also said that Inter Miami promised Messi, Alba, Sergio Busquets and Suarez in their contracts that they would need to play 45 minutes unless the players were injured. When it was learned that Messi would not be able to play, the organizers wanted him to explain to the fans, but it was unsuccessful, and then Messi and Suarez appeared in the Japanese game, leaving the organizers feeling a resounding slap in the face.
According to previous reports, the ticket price for the Miami Hong Kong Tour is 880 to 4880 Hong Kong dollars.
The HKSAR Government:
I hope Messi's team will give a reasonable explanation
At about 2 p.m. on February 9, the Hong Kong SAR government issued a press release saying: "Welcome to the refund plan of Tatler Asia, the organizer of the TATLER XFEST: Hong Kong Team VS International Miami CF Exhibition Match". The full text of the communiqué is as follows-
The government is as disappointed as the fans when they failed to play in the TATLER XFEST: Hong Kong vs Inter Miami CF exhibition match on February 4.
We have been urging the organiser, Tatler Asia, to once again explain in detail the arrangements between it and CF Miami for the Metz Tournament in Hong Kong, and to respond positively to the requests from all sectors of the community.
Over the past few days, we have been in constant discussions with our organiser, Tatler Asia, to find a viable solution to deal with the incident. Subsequently, we also invited the Consumer Council to participate in the discussion.
On 5 February, the organiser, Tatler Asia, voluntarily withdrew its application for the "M" brand event, waiving the $16 million subsidy, and announced today (9 February) that it will arrange a 50% refund of ticket prices for local and overseas fans who purchase tickets through Tatler Asia's official channels to attend the event.
The Government welcomes the decision and considers the compensation package offered by the organiser, Tatler Asia, to be a responsible and responsible approach. According to the accounts of the tournament published by the organiser, Tatler Asia, it shows that the organiser Tatler Asia has done its best to arrange a 50% refund of ticket prices in response to the demands of the community.
The Government understands that there are still many doubts about the incident in various sectors of the community, especially on February 4, when Messi was unable to play in Hong Kong due to injury, but three days later, Messi was active and free to play in Japan and did a lot of intense sports on the pitch. The government hopes that the Inter Miami CF team will eventually give a reasonable explanation to Hong Kong residents and fans who come to Hong Kong to watch the game.
On February 7, 2024, in an exhibition match in Tokyo, Japan, Messi came off the bench for 30 minutes, the picture comes from the American media
According to the global network, Yang Yunxiong, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, is expected to respond to reporters in the afternoon.
previously reported: A large number of netizens left messages in Messi's comment area! There are also female artists who apologize urgently......
Source: Beijing Daily, Hong Kong SAR Government website, Huanqiu.com, etc